Skip to main content

Gin Mare Review

Interesting new spirits are unfortunately not often seen in the Middle East. That's why I was pretty excited, when Carlos, the brand ambassador of Gin Mare told me, that his product has landed and was already in use in a couple of bars.

He sent me a bottle over [that took quite a while, as the respective supplier wasn't really aware of this new small volume product. But when I had it in my hands, I was quite happy.

The bottle is really beautiful. It definitely looks distinctively different than any other gin [or vodka] - modern, but not futuristic - just strikingly beautiful.

This is, what Gin Mare offers as marketing message:


Mediterranean botanicals - like rosemary, thyme and olives? Interesting.
Individual distillation of the specific infused neutral spirit? Controversial - but still intriguing.

But how are my impressions?

Eye:
I know - gin is translucent, but the viscosity is appealing- there are directly very thin and fast legs running down the glass wall after swirling - but very slowly, there are after quite some time also very slow drops rinsing down. This has to have something to do with the different distillates.

Nose:
Yes - it is directly distinguishable as gin. But it has an unusual savory note, which is quite appealing. Simultaneous you can also experience citrus notes [deriving from the citrus peels as well as the coriander] and the juniper is also not hiding and adds its piney note.

Tongue:
It is in the first moment quite sweet [sweet alcohol] on the tongue, until within a split of the second the botanicals kick in. Then there is a quite unique bitterness, quite some alcoholic burn [in a neutral way], bitter citrus and again savory notes. The bitterness is quite long lasting.

But: gin is usually not consumed on its own, but in a drink. A martini cocktail was ok - interesting, but not very appealing to me. I haven't tried a dirty martini [this could be a hit though].
A gin & tonic was much better - while the Gin Mare was adequate and unique, it could not really pass other premium gins.
However: I've experimented a bit and came up with a really appealing G n' T:

45 ml Gin Mare
45 ml good quality apple juice from concentrate
120 ml tonic water [I prefer Canada dry] or even better 80 ml of tonic water and 40 ml of lemon lime soda.

The apple juice highlights the brininess of the gin, and plays a quizzical but pleasant role in the drink. But the apple juice and optional lemon-lime soda also tames down the overall quinine bitterness [which will have the result, that you can drink much more than the usual 3 or 4 gin and tonics]. The bitterness of the gin however counters the additional sweetness of the apple juice [and soda].

But is it worth it to add into the portfolio?
I have to be honest - I don't [yet] know. It is definitely different and the bottle looks so pretty, but these are not necessarily proper reasons, why you should list, buy or drink a gin.

Usually I am pretty pragmatic, when it comes to new and hyped ingredients: if the product is not striking enough to convince guests on the first sip and/or be asked for, I am usually quite negative. I hate to bloat up the portfolio with meaningless items.
Gin Mare is however quite unique. It is not a head turner - but very few gins are [in comparison to other premium gins]; but it is distinctive enough.

It is up to you to do your own verdict…

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Coming soon: a proper review form with calculated ratings!




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How to use citric acid - and why you might not want to use it anyway!

To be honest, I shied away of this topic, because I think, people can misinterpret this - big time. I don't want to be part of the problem - I want to be part of the solution!  But when Chris, over at A Bar Above  discussed this subject- I literally could not resist to join into "the discussion". Here is the video: I - however take a bit slower approach than Chris. What is citric acid? Chemical Compound Citric acid is a weak organic acid with the formula C6H8O7. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic or sour taste to foods and drinks. Wikipedia Formula: C6H8O7 Molar Mass: 192.124 g/mol Melting Point: 153C Density: 1.66 g/cm3 Boiling point: 175C Soluble in: Water Why is it controversial? In my "mixology world" it is controversial, as citric acid is the stuff, which makes the nightmarish sour mix [ preferably in powder form ] sour. Yeah - citric acid is the main ingredient in one of the most

Agar-Agar Clarification

Not often, I am posting here things, which are clearly not my ideas... However Dave Arnold is clearly a mad scientist [no, he really is!] - and he posted amazing stuff on his website www.cookingissues.com - no - don't click now - just follow the link later. One of the most impressive posts about mixology, besides of demystifying the mechanics of shaking, were clarification techniques. Look, after him, you could use a centrifuge [which would set you back a couple thousand bucks] and a chemical compound, which solidifies sediments. I am not a fan of that. Then there is gelatine clarification; this works quite well [I tried it several times my self] - you gelatinize a liquid [with little gelatine only], freeze it, thaw it [in the fridge] over a colander and a muslin cloth. Thats it. Unfortunately this has several problems: Gelatine is made out of animal bones - hence it is neither vegetarian nor vegan, which you won't usually expect of a beverage. You have to freez

King Robert II Vodka

Who would knew, that I am reviewing a budget vodka here - on the opinionatedalchemist.com. But this isn't a normal review. I skip the marketing perception and use this product to cut directly to the case: Vodka is a "rather" neutral, colorless, "rather" flavorless and odorless distilled beverage from any agricultural source - and depending on the country, it has a minimum of 37.5% and 40% abv. As I said time and time again before: at times it is absolutely nonsense to talk about premium and luxury, when the original product doesn't really "hold this promise". Luxury water can have luxurious marketing, luxurious packaging, can be even rare and slightly more expensive "to produce". However really it is just water. Maybe it has some nuances to normal water - however those nuances (in a blind-test) are pretty small. Vodka is extremely similar - and the chain of evidence (despite a lot of people trying to proof otherwise) makes it re